Among the Brave (22 page)

Chapter Thirty-Five

Trey stood at the back of a long line of men and boys. Papers rustled under his shirt—dangerous papers, papers that could get lots of people killed. And he was waiting to walk into Population Police headquarters, the most dangerous place in the country for third children.

But he waited patiently, unfazed by the sun beating down on his head, the sullen crowd around him. His friend Lee stood by his side. And his friends Nina, Nedley, and the chauffeur were already inside.

Trey glanced over at a Population Police officer leaning lazily against a tree, watching the line.

“You don’t know what’s going to happen,” Trey wanted to tell the officer. “The only reason you can stand there so carelessly is that you don’t know what we’re about to do.”

Trey didn’t know everything either, of course. But for once in his life, he felt brave enough to face it all.